Monday, 8 December 2014

Thinking About Thor #2

Or the exploration of identity in Thor #2

by Jason Aaron, Russell Dauterman, and Matt Wilson; Marvel Comics

Whereas the first issue focused on how
Thor Odinson’s loss of worthiness and Mjolnir’s choice of wielder affected the
world around them, the second focuses on the internal monologue of our new
Goddess of Thunder. We’re presented right away with a contrast—Thor’s outward
speech is that of an Asgardian (even shown in the wonderful formal font we
always see from our Asgardian characters in Marvel comics), but her internal
monologue is decidedly more modern and casual.

Issue 1 faced down the question of
worthiness; Issue 2 is the beginning of an exploration of identity.

*Spoilers*
ahead, so turn back now if you want to read the issue before reading my
take on it.

Since we still don't know the identity of the new Thor, obviously, the mystery of who our new
Goddess of Thunder is will be forefront in this book for a while. A mystery that seems to exist on multiple levels in the comic: as the reader
is figuring out who Thor might be, Thor is also trying to figure out her new identity.
She recognizes, immediately, that something is different.

She’s speaking differently, trying to
figure out how to fly, and discovering she has knowledge of events that it
appears she previously did not. She herself has, or at least is, developing a new identity before the readers eyes.

I am
fascinated by the process of identity development; one of the biggest reasons I
love working with adolescents is that this process is still a major focus of
their daily life. The field of psychology has a wide range of theories
outlining this process, with varying views about how and when (if ever), our
identity reaches a state of being fully formed.

James Marcia’s theory of identity
development, though typically applied to adolescents, is an interesting model
to use when thinking about a super hero’s identity.Marcia’s theory centers around the idea that
identity is largely the result of choices and commitments made by an
individual. Identity development involves exploring multiple roles and
perspectives, then making a commitment to elements that best fit with their
identity. Individuals still exploring multiple perspectives and ways to
interact with the world are considered to be in crisis until they have
explained a range of choices and made commitments.

Our hero, who likely had finished
adolescence and was carrying around a fully formed adult identity, is now
facing down a serious identity crisis—having to integrate her prior identity
(still a mystery to the reader) with a new role—being the Goddess of Thunder. Before she can consider too many aspects of
this identity crisis, she’s off, somehow knowing that the earth is in Peril.

Here’s what I like about our new Thor
already: she’s jumping in to conflict Mjolnir first, working to keep Earth
safe. While it’s clear she didn’t know
that picking up Mjolnir would change her into some sort of hero, she’s also
clearly happy to use these new powers to enter the fight. At one point, she
reflects that she’s not even sure what powers she’s gotten, and why Mjolnir
chose her as worthy, but she keeps fighting, focusing on confronting one small
challenge at a time.

So, Who is Thor? Or, I guess, more
appropriately…who was Thor? And what
from her prior identity is going to carry forward? We already see that she’s
willing to wade into battle to protect Midgard—is this a trait she’s carrying
forward, or something inherent to the identity of Thor? I’m fascinated by the
idea of integrating these two identities, one of which is still a mystery to
the reader.

Issue two continues the mystery of Thor’s
identity without sacrificing the forward motion of the plot. This identity
exploration feels natural as it slides in along side the fights with Frost
Giants, Trolls, Dark Elves, and Oil company executives. Small hints about who
Thor was before she picked up the hammer pop up throughout the story, but the
focus remains on who she is now, and on what she has to do to continue to
protect Midgard. While we don’t yet know what in her past made her worthy, we
see what sort of worthy action she is taking now.

“With that hammer in my hand, I was the
goddess of Thunder,” she thinks to herself in the final panels, facing down Frost
Giants without Mjolnir’s support. “So I guess now the question is: who am I
without it?”

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My Ten Atoll Comics

Bitch Planet

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Giant Days

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Pretty Deadly

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The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl

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UPDATES: M-W-F

Due to poverty and an urge to buy better comics, I have decided to be super-selective about which superhero comics I read. Harnessing the Awesome Power of Maths, I have determined that I can afford to read 10 ongoing titles. So I get to read 10, and only 10, titles published by either Marvel or DC (as well as one creator owned trade paperback a week). This blog is me working through deciding which 10 superhero titles are the 10 worthiest of reading and discussing why creator owned comics are amazing.

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I'm a Science Graduate Student who loves comic books, enjoys novels, and needs practice writing. Welcome to my nonsense.
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